SciCheck Digest
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Well being Group, is an advocate for equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines in international locations across the globe. However a social media submit misleadingly claims, “Tedros says he isnt vaccinated.” Tedros shared a tweet on Might 12, 2021, exhibiting himself receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
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On March 11, 2020, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Well being Group, declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic, and he advocated for the equitable administration of vaccines in opposition to the illness as soon as they grew to become obtainable.
After 7 million deaths recorded internationally from the illness, Tedros declared “COVID-19 over as a worldwide well being emergency” on Might 5, 2023.
However the WHO continues to advise international locations “to work in the direction of vaccinating a minimum of 70% of their populations [against COVID-19], prioritizing the vaccination of 100% of well being staff and 100% of essentially the most susceptible teams, together with people who find themselves over 60 years of age and people who are immunocompromised or have underlying well being situations.”
But an Instagram consumer shares a submit on X from conservative radio host Stew Peters that misleadingly claims, “TEDROS SAYS HE ISNT VACCINATED.” Peters has unfold misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 prior to now, as we’ve written.
Peters’ submit on Sept. 12 reveals an edited clip of an interview with Tedros from a 2022 HBO documentary, “ Survive a Pandemic.” Within the clip, Tedros is requested by Science journal author Jon Cohen when he was first vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19.
Tedros is then heard saying: “I really feel like I do know the place I belong — in a poor nation referred to as Ethiopia, in a poor continent referred to as Africa, and wished to attend till Africa and different international locations, in different areas, low-income international locations, begin vaccination. So I used to be protesting, in different phrases, as a result of we’re failing.”
In different phrases, Tedros delayed getting a COVID-19 vaccine as a protest in opposition to the failure of vaccination efforts in African international locations.
Within the full interview with Cohen, revealed in Science on June 18, 2021, Tedros responded to Cohen’s query by saying he had acquired his first vaccination on Might 12, 2021.
Tedros tweeted a photograph of himself that day getting that vaccine, writing, “As we speak it was my flip to get vaccinated. … Vaccines save lives.”
About 13.5 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been administered globally, however solely a little bit greater than 35% of the inhabitants in Tedros’ residence nation of Ethiopia have acquired the first collection, based on Our World in Information.
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Sources
Christensen, Sean and Jessica McDonald. “Magic Johnson Did Not Contract HIV from a Vaccine, Opposite to On-line Declare.” FactCheck.org. 20 Jan 2023.
Cohen, Jon. “‘I’m nonetheless feeling that we’re failing.’ Exasperated WHO chief speaks out about vaccine inequity.” Science. 18 Jun 2021.
Ghebreyesus, Tedros Adhanom. “I Run the W.H.O., and I Know That Wealthy Nations Should Make a Alternative.” New York Instances. 22 Apr 2021.
Cucinotta, Domenico and Maurizio Vanelli. “WHO Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic.” Nationwide Library of Drugs. 19 Mar 2020.
Our World in Information. COVID-19 vaccine doses administered. Accessed 15 Sep 2023.
Our World in Information. Share of individuals vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19, Ethiopia, Might 28, 2023. Accessed 15 Sep 2023.
Spencer, Saranac Hale. “Social Media Posts Misrepresent FDA’s COVID-19 Vaccine Security Analysis.” FactCheck.org. 23 Dec 2022.
Spencer, Saranac Hale, Jessica McDonald and Catalina Jaramillo. “‘Died Immediately’ Pushes Bogus Depopulation Concept.” FactCheck.org. 1 Dec 2022.
World Well being Group. COVID-19 Vaccines. WHO web site. Accessed 14 Sep 2023.